Heroes From The Start - The Stolen Lightning
by FLAMELASHER
Summary: AU. A group of Demigods known as Islanders unknown to Camp Half-Blood and vice versa steal children when they are several days old, and raise them at a place called Demigod Island. Percy Jackson, a son of Poseidon, is kidnapped and raised to be a hero on Demigod Island, and by age eleven, he's itching for a quest. When Zeus' master bolt goes missing, he gets his chance.
1. Prologue

"I still don't feel good about doing this." a twenty-something year old man with a bald head and faint stubble grumbled as he climbed up the fire escape.

"It's for the best, you know that." replied another man, this one in his late thirties with caramel hair and sky blue eyes.

"I know, but it still feels wrong. The mother goes through all that in childbirth just to have the kid snatched away?" the first man said.

"The newborn's survival chances increase." the second said, "I don't feel like a morality discussion, just do your job."

"Alright." the first conceded as they reached their destination; A slightly ajar window on the side of an apartment building, the baby blue curtain inside fluttering in the cool night wind.

The older man pulled the window fully open and and climbed through into the room inside. It had white walls, the kind you always get in rented properties, and was fairly small. A small blue chest sat open, with a few cuddly toys inside - dolphins and starfish, mainly. They were a fairly big giveaway as to the baby's parentage. The man crept over to the small wooden cot, reached inside, and picked up the sleeping newborn inside. It held on tightly to a teddy bear even in it's sleep. He wrapped a blanket around it as the younger man crept into the mother's room, holding a cloudy white potion, and wearing a guilty expression. When he got back, the two men headed down the creaking fire escape to their car at the bottom. A black Honda Civic with tinted windows.

They drove in silence back to their starting point and home. They were on the road for hours. Country fields whizzed by one minute, houses and stores the next. The sun was beggining to rise when they finally stopped. From there they took a short walk into a hidden passage, through it, and out into a sprawl of buildings and obstacle courses. A river ran around the perimiter of the circular "island". Four guards strolled casually around the area, holding flashlights and wearing kevlar vests and grey corinthian helmets. Swords hung at their sides, and rifles were strapped to their backs. An ancient greek temple dominated the far end of the island.

"Welcome to Demigod Island, Perseus Jackson." the bald man said.


	2. Sword Training

**A/N: There's going to be a few chapters set during Percy's training, then it'll move on to the main storyline.**

"Wake up Percy!" yelled one of his roommates at seven twenty six in the morning.

Percy sat up in his bed and rubbed the sleep out of his sea green eyes.

"Come on, or we'll be late!" the same roommate, who the now awake Percy recognised as fellow five year old demigod Rio son of Nike (the godess of victory), said.

"What for?" Percy half yawned half said.

"First day of sword training, obviously." a third half blood, Sasha daughter of Hecate, sighed.

Percy opened his mouth to say something.

"Just shut up and get ready Prissy." Clarisse, daughter of Ares, growled.

Everyone knew she was one of the most eager demigods to start sword training.

"It's Percy." Percy complained as he went into the small changing room.

He put on stonewashed jeans and a dark grey tee shirt in as much of a hurry as he could without making a mistake and putting his head through an arm socket. He left the room and followed the impatient children out of their dorm room. They came out into a corridor with plain white walls and a fake wooden corridor leading past all of the other dorm rooms and to the stairwell at the far end of the building. Simple lights lit the corridor.

"We're going to be late." Clarisse growled, "It's all your fault Prissy."

"You want a water bottle to explode in your face again Clarisse?" Percy asked, referring to a time when Clarisse had tried to beat him up, and Percy threw his water bottle into her face and made it explode all over her.

Rio laughed, and Sasha smiled.

Clarisse stayed silent, but she clenched her fists.

They put on their shoes which were on shelves by the double door exit to the building. Everyone's shoes were the same - simple grey shoes with velcro. Rio put his shoes out and ran a hand through his messy brown hair before heading outside. Clarisse was next out after pulling her huge shoes onto her equally huge feet. She pushed a strand of her stringy blonde hair behind her ear. Percy was the third one out, and Sasha's purple strands in her otherwise black hair lit up when she finally stepped into the sunlight.

The group of children saw the other five year olds head into the melee training building and sprinted over the soft green grass of demigod island to get there. By the time they arrived they were panting and out of breath, but in time.

"You're late." said Tina, a daughter of Eunomia (godess of law and legislation) said.

Percy looked at his digital watch, and took a moment to read the numbers making up the time.

"Seven thirty." Percy said.

"Nineteen seconds late." Tina huffed.

Percy stuck his tounge out at her.

"I told you Prissy." Clarisse growled.

"Stop being a meanie Clarisse." Samantha, daughter of Harmonia, said.

"Alright everyone, ready to learn to use swords?" shouted a teenager who looked about fifteen years old.

He had a buzzcut and a scar on his cheek, but a good natured smile. A name tag on his grey shirt said his name. Hayrr? No, Harry. Percy, like all demigods, was dyslexic, and so had problems with reading. It felt like every letter had a vendetta against him and kept leaping and spinning around just to annoy him.

"Yes!" chorused about twenty five year olds.

"Alright, form lines in your dorm groups." ordered Harrry.

Percy scrambled to get to the front of his line, but ended up third behind Clarisse and Sasha. He waited impatiently as the first person in each line hit a dummy several times so Harry could figure out what weight of sword to give each child. Clarisse, predictably, got a long, heavy sword. The next group went up and hit the dummies. Sasha was given a thin and short sword, almost a dagger but not quite. Percy rushed forward when it was his turn and attacked the dummy. He was given a sword to try out but it felt a bit too heavy for him. But, at that moment he was too excited to mind, so he headed to the back of his line and Rio was given a long sword with a thin blade to reduce it's weight.

"Everyone get into pairs and try out some swipes and parries." Harry ordered.

Percy ended up paired with Sasha, who went for a swipe before Percy was expecting it. His inborn battle reflexes kicked in and he blocked clumsily. He went for another swing but the sword's weight slowed his blow down and he had to turn it into a block as Sasha slashed again with her lighter, more fast swinging sword. Percy pushed his blade against Sasha's and was about to win when his opponent stepped to the side and sent him tubling to the side.

"I win." Sasha said.

Clarisse kicked Rio between the two and he moaned in pain.

"You got lucky." Percy defended.

"Oh yeah. How about we go again?" Sasha asked.

"Ok." Percy said, reaching for a water bottle from the stack in the midle of the room.

"Nuh uh Percy." Sasha said, "No powers."

Percy did a puppy face.

"Please?" he begged.

"Nope." Sasha said, "Not gonna happen mister."

Percy sighed and resigned to the fact that he was going to lose again. After about half an hour of losses and lucky wins, Sasha let him have a drink of water, and the tables turned.

Percy started the next fight with a swipe, his sword a blur of bronze. Sasha blocked and went for a swipe at his feet, and he jumped over it and swiped towards Sasha's shoulder. The daughter of Hecate was forced to twist out of the way and her hand began to glow green. Percy quickly grabbed her wrist and the blast of magic energy meant for him hit Clarisse, blowing her off her feet. Sasha panicked and Percy used the chance to put his sword to her forehead.

"You only won because you used powers." Sasha said.

"So did you." Percy replied, sticking his tongue out.

Sasha smiled.

"Alright, you win." she admitted, "Fair and square."

**A/N: Thanks for reading, please leave a review.**


	3. Capture The Flag

**A/N: A longer, more action packed chapter rather than a shorter one designed to introduce characters. Enjoy!**

Percy's first capture the flag game was a day after his eight birthday. He hadn't been allowed to take part before because he was too young, but now he got to take part. He was excited, but also knew he would get, to put it simply, the crap kicked out of him unless he stayed near water. He went through his day mostly as normal, but focused on training with the biggest and strongest kids in his training sessions. At six fifteen PM, he had tea in the dining hall, hooked two metal water bottles to his new grey combat belt, and headed to the vans that took the three teams to the capture the flag area, and sat nervously next to the other first timers. After a while, the vans stopped and Percy and the other first timers were assigned to the small team - Green team.

"First timers over here!" Harry, Percy's sword trainer, called.

He had a new scar he hadn't had the first time Percy had met him, and was taller and beefier. But other than that he hadn't changed much.

Percy looked at the other first timers. Technically, some were up to eighth timers, but still fell into the first timers catergory. Because capture the flag games were monthly, that meant that everyone in the first timers group was eight years old. Clarisse was there, and so was Rio, as well as eight other demigods. Percy recognised four of them. Tina, a daughter of Eunomia (godess of law and legislation) was putting a helmet far too big for her over her perfectly straight blonde hair. Jack, son of Hermes, was standing there with a mischevious glint in his brown eyes. Alfie, a fleet footed son of Asclepius the medicine god, was checking the contents of his medical kit. And Zoey, a friendly girl and daughter of Bia, godess of force. In other words, she could control gravity and alter the mass and acceleration of pretty much anything.

"Alright, I'm going to be taking care of you lot in tonight's match." Harry explained, "So stick close to me, okay?"

Variations of okay and sure were his reply.

"Everyone get a weapon and any armour you want from the racks over there." Henry said, gesturing.

Percy walked over and grabbed a grey kevlar vest and searched for a helmet that would fit him, but was unable to find one.

"Hey Percy, you seen any helmets that'll fit us?" Zoey asked.

"No, sorry." Percy replied.

"Neither can I." Zoey said.

"Can't you, like, alter the mass of one?" Percy asked.

"That'd make it weigh more, now make it smaller kelp brain." Zoey laughed.

"Oh." Percy said simply, grabbing a sword that looked perfect for him.

"Is that the right weight? Cause if it's not I can change it." Zoey asked as she selected one of the longest swords and lifted it like it was weightless.

"It's a bit too heavy." Percy said.

Zoey looked at Percy's sword and her eyes changed from green to pure white. After a moment they changed back and Percy's sword dropped in weight.

"Thanks." Percy said.

"No problem." Zoey said, grabbing a shield.

After a few minutes the first timer group was gathered together. The starting horn went off and Percy took a moment to examine the enviroment. A forest sprawled out in the north and east of the area, and thet trees thinned out into small scattered clusters as they came out in the hilly south. To the west abbandoned farmhouses governed over fields of tall grass and weeds. A river ran into the forest, and Percy could sense it turning into a lake with smaller streams stretching out throughout the forest. The ditches around the fields to the west had water in too. Percy put the dark green bib his team was issued on and followed Harry's lead.

"What's the plan?" asked a black haired son of Athena.

"Red team's flag is somewhere in the forest. We're going to scout for it and use an Iris Message to tell the others where it is." Harry explained as the group of twelve jogged along.

"What if we see a chance to take it?" the son of Athena asked.

"Then I'll make a call on if we should go for it or not." Harry said.

They headed into the woods and spread out from a tight cluster into a random scatter spread over ten meters. They were led by Harry to a short ridge overlooking a highly defensible cluster of rocks. They saw the flag and five red team membrs patrolling around inside the rock cluster. From what Percy had heard, that was far less than usual.

"Is that thier flag?" asked the son of Athena.

"It could be an illusion." Harry said, "Does anyone have a way to check?"

Nobody did.

"Who's the fastest in the group?" asked Harry.

"I am." Alfie said.

"No, I am." a ginger son of Aeolus, god of wind, said.

"Alfie's faster, he won the tournament." Rio said.

"That was nine months ago." the ginger son of Aeolus said, a little too loudly.

"Look, green team spies!" shouted one of the red team guards.

Three of them charged straight at the ridge and halfway leapt, halfway climbed up. Percy swiped with his sword and cut the upper leg of one of the red team members - a fourteen year old with a sword crackling with electricity. He fell backwards and his two comerades lunged at Percy. Rio grabbed him by the shoulder and dragged him back away from the attacks. Clarisse leapt up and brought her hammer down on one of the demigods as Tina advanced behind her. The red team member blocked with his shield and lunged for her. She stepped backwards and Harry and the son of Athena attacked at the same time. Percy forced himself to focus on the other red team member, who leapt at Zoey, but lost all his speed and fell to the ground. Percy swung his sword down at him but he rolled to the son. Jack, Alfie and Rio helped Percy surround him, and then all attacked at once. The red team member went down with cuts on his legs, and was knocked out by a kick from Jack. The demigod with the electric sword was back on the ridge.

The four eight year olds tried to surround him but he leapt into the air and came slamming down on Alfie, who tumbled away and fell off of the ridge. He lunged at Rio, who blocked. Lightning crackled across his arm, and he dropped his sword. Percy swung for the demigod's legs, and he felt the speed and mass of his sword increase unnaturally. The demigod cried out in pain as Percy's blade cut his leg badly and probably broke a bone or two. Percy slammed the hilt of his sword into the demigod's head as he fell and watched his opponent fall unconscious. He turned to thank Zoey for the help she had obviously given using her powers when the other two red team membrs charged out of the shadows and attacked Harry. One of their sword cut a red streak along his chest and the other's hilt slammed into the side of his head. They span on the son of Athena and the son of Aeolus next. One got a kick to the face, the other shoved off the ridge.

Percy lunged for one of them but she blocked and started to attack Percy, who clumsily defended. After a few seconds Percy was knocked to the ground and the red team member went in for the final blow, but Rio blocked from the side and lunged. As he did so, Jack stabbed her in the back and she fell to the ground. He kicked her in the face and her eyes closed. Percy turned to see the other red team member get a blow where it hurts from Clarisse's hammer, then another in the face as he doubled over. He went down after a sickening crack, but as he fell tumbled into Clarrise and sent them both over the ridge, knocking them out because their drop wasn't controlled.

"Time to see if that flag's real." Percy said, jumping down the ridge and landing in a roll.

Jack, Rio, Tina, and the two half bloods Percy didn't know leapt down and landed in a simmilar way, and Zoey stepped off the edge and fell slowly, landing perfectly on her feet.

"Show off." Tina said.

"Why do you hate me Tina?" Zoey asked.

"What you do is against the laws of physics." Tina said.

"So is what most demigods do." Zoey replied.

"Well, you break them worse." Tina huffed.

"Why do you care so much?" Zoey said.

"Catfight!" Jack said, earning a glare from both the girls, but also ending the argument.

Rio ignored them all and went to grab the flag. He clasped it firmly in his left hand and lifted into the air.

"I've got the flag, let's get it back to base." Rio said.

"What about the wounded?" Percy asked.

"We leave them and they get healed after the tournament ends, obviously." Tina said, still in a bad mood, "The Island Leaders did think that through."

"Alright, let's go. Stay scattered and low so they can't easily see us." Percy said, his natural leadership kicking in.

The group of eight year olds headed through the forest out into the hills, and they kept heading south until they reached Green Team's base, which was situated atop one of the highest hills and ringed with improvised defensive spikes plunged into the ground. Rio stood in the center, raised the flag and then plunged it's shaft into the ground. It glowed and turned green.

"Now what do we do?" asked Zoey.

Her question was answered by someone sprinting towards base, holding a flag, followed by enemy archers. A few other green team members were lying unconscious along the trail he was taking, arrows in their backs. Percy took a big sip of water from the bottle he'd been devouting on the way back to base, and then sent the rest blasting forward into one of the archer's face. He gagged and coughed on the water and rubbed his eyes. Jack threw a huge stone from the ground, and Rio and Tina joined him in doing so. While they weren't accurate, they forced the archers to be more careful and fire slower. Zoey's eyes glowed and the arrows in midair lost all of their momentum and plunged straight into the ground. The two demigods Percy didn't know got bows off of their backs and fired on the archers. The eight year olds kept up the process until the flagbearer reached base and slammed the flag into the ground. Zoey fell over from exhaustion at using her powers so much and Percy had to drink what little remianed of his second water bottle to stay standing.

"Tyche!" he shouted, which Percy knew was ancient greek for 'Victory!'

Percy's first capture the flag tournament, and he'd led a group of eight year olds to claim an enemy flag and help get a flagbearer safely back to base.

**A/N: Thanks for reading everyone, please review if you enjoyed, and please review even if you didn't. Then maybe I can fix what you thought was wrong with it.**


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